In 2019, the large volume of active users on social media and email make digital advertising seem like the ultimate medium for marketers.  The problem with that assumption is digital advertising fulfills consumer demand that has already been created by another source.  With traditional forms of media, such as Direct Mail, advertisers are able to get in front of the consumer well before any interest to purchase has been created.  You’ve essentially created demand that didn’t exist and as a result, will get to meet new customers.  Direct mail marketing in 2019 is more important to have as part of your marketing mix than ever.  The world’s largest digital conglomerates such as Google and Amazon rely on direct mail as part of their new customer acquisition strategy.  There’s a specific place for both types of marketing and you need both to be great.

Consumers are spending more time of their day online and on their mobile smart phones than ever before, and it’s no secret to businesses. From social media to video streaming, marketers are constantly looking for new ways they can increase the reach and engagement between their brand and consumers.

This constant pursuit of “what’s next” in marketing can make tried and true engagement tools like direct mail fall at the wayside. But direct mail marketing should not be overlooked. The ability the medium has to target and personalize its audience can yield incredible return on investment and the level of consumer response has never been stronger.

There is an overdependence and oversaturation of companies relying on digital marketing as their sole engagement tool, and consumers are on the receiving end of what is oftentimes thought of as uninvited clutter. Today, Adblock is utilized by 26 percent of desktop users and 15 percent of iPhone/tablet users. Even without Adblock services, consumers are used to being flooded with digital advertising that they tend to tune out completely.

But brands can engage with consumers on platforms other than digital and experience positive return on investment (ROI). Direct mail for example still proves to be a strong marketing tool to keep consumers actively engaged with a brand’s products and services and during a moment where the reader’s mindset is more attentive to your message. In a recent case study, 93 percent of people said they use coupons from the mail in 2018 – this is up 5 percentage points compared to 88 percent in 2017.

Reports by Data Marketing & Analytics (DMA) have also shown that direct mailed coupons continue to remain viable due to a high average response rate of 5.1 percent. This is nearly three times the average response rate of email, paid search, online display and social media combined.

Direct mail marketing is a great engagement tool, but its potential can be fully realized when used as a supplement to other marketing campaigns. Be it digital, traditional or social, the capabilities direct mail marketing offers can enhance any engagement campaign, targeting consumers that otherwise would have ignored the marketing strategy.

Here are a few ways marketers can implement direct mail into their strategy to boot ROI:

• Use direct mail to connect with non-digital responders: No matter how eye catching or clever your digital or email marketing campaigns may be, there will be people who simply ignore or block your digital messages. Keep a list of non-responders and create a direct mail marketing campaign targeting those individuals.
• Create one hub for both digital and direct mail offers: As a leader in providing direct mail and digital marketing services, Money Mailer understands how creating one hub to create digital and direct mail campaigns promotes cohesive campaigns and boosts ROI.
• Combine QR codes with personalized websites: While QR codes haven’t been able to sustain a marketing campaign by themselves, personalized URLs to these campaigns allow marketers to gain actionable insights into who your customers are and where they’re engaging with your print materials.

The internet may play a huge part in the day-to-day lives of consumers, but it is important for brands to remember that marketing can depend on so much more than online engagement. For a successful campaign, marketers must think about the variety of mediums they can use to interact with their customer base. This is precisely why Money Mailer offers a host of products that include both print and digital solutions.  By being creative with the wide variety of marketing channels available, businesses can achieve higher brand awareness and recall, and increase ROI.

Source: https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/marketing-automation-2/the-one-two-punch-how-direct-mail-marketing-complements-digital-outreach/